Friday, January 21 2005 20:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: With upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh receiving heavy snowfall, cold wave tightened its grip over North India today (Jan 21, 2005) while large parts of the region, including the national capital, remained overcast and misty, affecting normal life.

Heavy snowfall and fog disrupted normal life in Srinagar, Gulmarg and other parts of the valley as Jammu and Kashmir groaned under the chill with mercury plummeting to 0.4 degree celsius. Kashmir valley remained cut off from the rest of the country by air as inclement conditions led to cancellation of all flights to and from Srinagar.

In Himachal, upper areas of Shimla and higher tribal areas Lahaul, Pangi and Spiti experienced 10 to 15 cm of snow while Narkanda and Kufri was under a thick blanket of 20cm to 30cm blocking the Indo-Tibetan NH.

As high velocity cold wave coupled with rain disrupted normal life in the State, an avalanche threat loomed large over the high altitude tribal areas and people have been advised against venturing out.

Uttar Pradesh continued to reel under cold wave with Lucknow, Kanpur and adjoining districts at 6 C experiencing cloudy skies and chilly winds aggrevating the conditions.

Delhites shivered as mercury remained below normal today with chilly winds and mist making the conditions worse. Minimum today was recorded at 6.8 C, one degree below normal.

The plains of Punjab and Haryana also witnessed chilly conditions with capital Chandigarh recording its coldest day at 5 C. Ludhiana, Patiala and Amritsar had cloudy sky and received some drizzle.